Aug 4, 2008

Barack Obama, Europe, and the American Presidency


Upon returning, Senator Barack Obama justified his trip to Europe, saying one of the best ways to solve America's problems is to look to our friends abroad. Apparently, Obama is too young and/or inexperienced to know that historically America has been the rescuer of Europe, not the other way around.

For example, if you compare historical social upheavals, unemployment rates, tax rates, inflation rates, crime rates [though many countries do not track this and for a reason], standard of living, and the cost of gasoline, it seems as though our friends in Europe provide us with the perfect example of what we ought not to do.

Now, we are all aware that Barack Obama wants to appease the current world trends toward big government, oppressive taxation, and the impulse to negotiate with terrorists. We are aware that Barack Obama wants to appear in vogue among the moderately educated men of our age. As the latest McCain campaign advertisement shows, Obama seems to want to be a pop-star, like Britany Spears.

Pop-stars however, are known for sacraficing substance for appearance. Perhaps Obama perceives this, and understands that his support among moderates and pop-liberals in America will wane once the trendy issues of the day go out of fashion. Perhaps his commitment to European interest and world government over American national sovereignty is really just his attempt to generate a world political fashion wave in favor of his plan to “change” America. But, what change will Obama stand for if elected?

Frankly, Barack Obama does nothing more than ride the waves of pop-European and liberal American political culture, with reckless disregard for the consequences. I marvel how Democrats can even pretend to know who the real Barack Obama is, or what the politician will actually do, given his lack of experience, if elected. But then that is what the European influence on Democratic America really is all about, isn't it? Promise anything that will get you what you want now, and let someone else worry about the future; which is precisely why Social Security, Medicare, education, and a host of social ills are in the condition they are. Which brings us back to where we started; we have been following our friends in Europe, who have provided us with the perfect example of what we ought not to do. But who will bail us out when we begin to falter? What new world will come to our rescue?

Peyton Inge
The Young Conservatives of Texas